Sign-letter plate



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' Mr/175E 429% Jan. 5 1926.

" C. B. EHNBORN sum LETTER PLATE Filed June 25, 1923 Patented Jan. 5, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES B. EHNBOBN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THOMAS CUSAGK COM- PANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SIGN-LETTER PLATE.

Application filed June 25, 1923.

To all 1.071077% it may concern.

Be it known that I, CHARLES B. EHNBORN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sign-Letter Plates; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in sign letter plates and consists of the matters hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a new and novel letter plate for a sign, in which the translucent glass plate is so mounted on the back of the stencil plate as to be easily removed therefrom for the purpose of cleaning and may be readily replaced without the aid of tools or other appliances.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sign letter plate, wherein the translucent glass backing plate is so arranged with respect to the stencil plate as to make the letters appear in intaglio and to accentuate the high lights'and shadows thereof and thus make the sign more attractive in appearance during the day as well as at night when it is illuminated.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide an open frame for the backing plate which so engages the margins thereof as to protect it against breakage should its edges come in contact with other parts of the sign, during the handling of the plates which they are naturally subjected to.

These objects of the invention as well as the several advantages thereof will more fully appear as I proceed with my specification.

In the drawings Fi 1 is a view in front elevation of a sigFn etter plate embodying my invention.

ig. 2 is a view in rear elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view through the improved sign letter plate on an enlarged scale, as taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through the same as taken on the line H of Fig. 2.

Serial No. 647,459.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the translucent glass backing plate and associated open frame.

Referring now. in detail to that embodiment of the invention illustrated in the ac companying drawings :10 indicates the improved sign letter plate as a whole, which comprises a sheet metal stencil plate 11 and an associated, plate 12.

The stencil plate 11 is preferably made of a rectangular sheet of zinc of a height greater than its width and it is cut out along certain predetermined lines within its out line to provide an opening 13 which defines I the letter or character desired. Preferably, but not necessarily so, the part of the stencil plate about the letter opening is pressed outwardly from the front face of the letter plate to provide a moulding 1 1 about the letter opening, which moulding is usually painted a color which will contrast with the face of the stencil plate. The lateral margins of the stencil plate are enclosed in binding strips 15, each of which includes a rearwardly facing flange 16, said flanges being adapted to engage with coacting parts of the sign (not shown). The binding strips 15 are preferably made of galvanized iron and they not only act to stiffen or reinforce the lateral margins of the stencil plate, but they may be bent to provide the desired flanges, it being impossible to bend or flange the zinc stencil plate without cracking or splitting. The top and bottom margins of the stencil plate are also bound with channel strips 17 and 18 respectively, which finish off and stiffens thesame. Said strips are also made of galvanized iron which as before stated, more readily yields to bending without breaking than zinc.

The top channel strip includes a vertical flange 19 which is spaced a suitable distance from the rear face of the stencil plate 11 and coacts therewith to provide a relatively deep downwardly facing groove 20. The bottom channel strip includes a similar, but narrower flange 21, which coacts with the stencil plate to provide a relatively shallow, upwardly opening groove 22 (see Fig. 1).

The translucent backing plate 12 is preferably made of opal or milk white glass and is of a length and breadth less than that of the stencil plate. Said backing plate is set in a suitable ope-n sheet metal frame which translucent glass backing backing plate.

protects the edges of said plate. Said open frame includes side members or Z shaped strips 23, 23 and top and bottom angle strips 2%,2 l which are secured at their ends to said strips 23, Said last mentioned strips include parallel flanges 23 28 which are connected together by a web 23 (see Fig. The flanges 23 engage the marginal part of the rear face of the glass backing plate and the webs 23 engage the lateral edges of said plate while the flanges 23 are spaced from the plane of the flanges 23 and are adapted to engage the rear face of the stencil plate. Secured to the web 23 of said strips is an angle strip whichceacts with the flanges 23 to hold the translucent V The angle strips 24: each in elude flanges 2%, 26t which engages respectively, with the rear top and bottom marginal parts and topand bottonrecges of said backing plate. It is apparent from the foregoing that the marginal parts of the glass backing plate are enclosed d protected by the-open frame strips or ,parts just referred The edges of the flanges 23 of the 2 strips 23 are spaced apart a distance equal to the distance between the flanges 16 of the stencil plate binding strips 15 and engage the inner surface of said flanges 16 ,so that the backing plate is securely held against lateral shiftin The hacking 12 .is applied to or is -in sorted into position on :the stencil plate as follows z-ll ith the flanges 23 of the backing plate frame facing the rear surrace of the stencil plate, the top end of said lacking plate is inserted into the downwardly opening groove 20 defined by the stencil plate and the flange 19st the top endthere of, andcsaidrbacking plate is then niovedupwa-rdly until its bottom edge clears the flange 21 at the bottom end of the stencil plate. the bottom end of the'backing'plate is then swung inwardly"toward the rear face of the stencil plate until the flanges 23 have a full line contact therewith when the backing plate .is then allowed :to settle downwardly until it seats in the groove 22. he the backing plate :12 is of a height somewhat greater than ithe-distance between the opposed edges of the flanges d9 and 21, it is apparent that-after said backing plate has been inserted, as before described, it'can- .not fall out because .of aitsengageinent with the inner surfaces ofthe flanges 19 and 21. To remove said backing plate, it is first raised upwardly until its bottom edge clears the lienge 21 whensaidzedge may be swung away from the stencil plate aft 1' which a slight downward vmovement .is imparted thereto until the top :edge thereof passes the bottonredge of the flange 119.

It is apparent that when :the baclqing plate is in position on't'hestencil plate, it is spaced back or away from the rear surface thereof by reason of the Z strips 23. This spacing back of said backing plate, when the sign letter plate is in a sign body and is viewed fi om'the front thereof, will make that part of said glass backing plate which is visible through the letter opening 13, appear in deep intaglio because of the shadows and highlights which will appear upon the same. hcsc shadows will make the letters stand "orth with more prominence and will, thereore, attract the attention of the passcrby.

It is well knownthat vith opal or milk white glass such as is used in sign letter plates, one surface thereof ,is quite glossy or hi ghly' polished and the other surface is comparatively dull and it is the glossy surface which is always exposed to view. It has been demonstrated by long experience that such glossy surface when exposed through the letter opening becomes worn down by the weather elements and thus becomesdull, so that-dirt and soot cling thereto and they become hard to clean. When such conditions pccur vin the backing plate of my invention, it can be readily removed and turned 811d for end to bring new parts of theglossy surface into the plane of the letter 'openin By reason of the open frame for the iaclging plate, a proper fit of the samewith reference to the stencil plate .may be easily had so that the backing plates will not rattle under wind pressuref lVhile in describing my invention I have referred to certain details of construction a rd varrangement of parts, Ido not wish to be limited thereto except as may be pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim ,as my invention:

1. A sign character plate comprising in combination, a sheet metal stencil platehaving a letter opening-therein, means providing flanges at the sides and at the top and bottom ends of said stencil plates on the near surface thereof, a translucent glass backing plate, means providing an open metallic frame for said bacrzing plate, said frame including forwardly extending flanges along its sides, said frame flanges engagingzthe rear face of the stencil plate to space the backing plate therefrom and substantially engaging the side flanges of said stencil plate, thetop and. bettomcnds of said backing plate being adapted to be reino'vably engaged beneath the flanges at the top and bottom ends of said stencil plate.

2. A sign :letter platecomprising in V0111- bination, a sheet metal stencil plate having part cut out from within its outline to define letter, a translucent Lass backing plate, means providing flanges along opposite margins of said backing plate adapted to engage thl var faceo' .:-'aid stencil plate. and means on the stencil plate for removably holding said glass backing plate in powe, I; n:

sition on said stencil plate, said flanges spacing said glass backing plate from the rear surface of said stencil plate.

3. A sign letter plate comprising in combination, a sheet metal stencil plate having a letter opening therein, which is surrounded by a moulding on the front face of the stencil plate, a translucent glass backing plate, means providing sheet metal flanges secured to opposite margins of said backing plate and adapted to engage the rear face of said stencil plate, and means on said stencil plate for removably holding said glass backing plate in position on said stencil plate, said sheet metal flanges spacing said backing plate from the rear surface of said stencil plate.

4. A sign letter plate comprising in combination, a sheet metal stencil plate having a letter opening therein, which is surrounded by a moulding on the front face of the stencil plate, a translucent glass backing plate, an open frame engaged upon the margin of said backing plate, said frame having flanges along opposite sides which are adapted to engage the rear face of said stencil plate, and means on said stencil plate for removably holding said glass backing plate in position on said stencil plate, the flanges on the opposite sides of said open frame, spacing said backing plate from the rear face of said stencil plate.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I aflix my signature this 21st day of June, 1923.

CHARLES B. EHNBORN. 

